A Moment in Time
by Siaynoqsbride
Summary: Mostly KJ fluffiness, postDark Journey.


Kyp woke at once, stirring from his slumber immediately. He felt pain at once, everywhere, searing, devastating pain. It was hard to accept for a moment, and he had to sit for a few seconds and breathe. It took him a few seconds to realize that the pain came not from him, but from his apprentice in the bond they shared.

"Jaina," he murmured.

He got up at once and ran to her room in the ship they shared. His bare feet hardly made a sound along the corridor as he bolted over to the danger he felt, his lightsaber in hand and wearing only a pair of sleep-pants.

He opened the door to her quarters, not hesitating. He felt a sickening drop in his stomach when he realized that she was not there, and when he saw only a darkened room. A quick glance around made him realize that she was not there, and his mind spun with wild, impossible guesses... 

"Looking for me?" A silky voice came from the corridor outside her room. Kyp relaxed, then tensed up once he realized what had happened. He turned around in immediate anger.

Jaina stood there, her brown hair draped across her shoulders and in her uniform, her arms draped casually across her chest. Kyp wondered about the fact that she was dressed in the middle of the night for a second, but then immediately dismissed it. He stared at her, his handsome features pulled down in a figure of displeasure and tight rage.

"What was that?" He asked. She made no move to answer him, but simply stared ahead indifferently.

He could sense embarrassment coming from her, as well as... something else. He frowned, intent on figuring out what had woken him in the middle of the night... only to have her shields slammed down on him, immediately shutting him off from everything she was feeling.

Jaina sauntered over to her sleep-couch, staring at Kyp. He glared at her, not needing any words to show her his anger.

"I don't need you poking around in my mind," Jaina said with a show of defiance. "Go back to sleep."

Kyp was about to rebuke her for speaking in such terms to the man that was supposed to be her master, but stopped when he saw the expression on her face. 

"Jaina," he said softly. She refused to look at him, but withdrew further into herself.

He stood there, staring at her. He thought they had made a reconciliation, a truce. He ran fingers through his silver-streaked hair.

"Jaina," he said a bit more firmly. She looked at him once, her eyes haunted by a thousand nightmares, and then she turned away.

Kyp stepped over to her, and then hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. When she did not push it off, he reached out to her through the bond they shared.

Let me in, he whispered to her. Her shields stayed intact, but wavered a little bit. He closed his eyes and reached out to her once more, and then her emotional defenses dropped.

Kyp wavered a little bit at the sudden explosion in his mind of world-shattering, mind-numbing grief that he suddenly felt. He had thought she had opened everything to him before... he had been wrong. It was as if all the sorrow and grief he had ever felt was condensed and multiplied by a thousand, and then thrust at him. He understood then what had woken him, what Jaina felt.

He opened his eyes, and was not ashamed to see the world through a blurry haze, tears in his eyes. He blinked them away, knowing that whatever he was feeling, it was worse for Jaina. He looked down at her to see only one small tear, traveling along the plane of her face and then vanishing. It was small compared to the vast, sweeping emotions in the Force, but it was a sign of her agony.

He understood the pain then. He understood everything even deeper then he had before, and he felt his soul ally with Jaina's even more, now that he had felt her grief. He reached out to her then, but not as he had before. No, now he wanted to heal the wounds he had just rubbed salt in.

He came to her with every bit of comfort that he knew how to provide, wanting to help her in all her pain. He was there, soothing all her anger and comforting her in her agony. He had felt that himself so often, he knew how to help Jaina. He was inside her mind for a long time, strengthening her and unifying her. Their bond as Master and Apprentice grew stronger, until it became something unrecognizable to Kyp, something foreign and strong, unbreakable and tender.

He opened his eyes several hours later, and was shocked to see that he and Jaina were enfolded in an embrace, his arms wrapped securely around her in a gesture that showed comfort, but also much more... He grinned wryly, wondering what would happen if the goddess were to wake up. He then frowned, knowing how inappropriate it was for his apprentice and him to be this close to each other.

She murmured against his bare chest, but then sunk deeper into sleep. Kyp carefully disentangled himself from her, moving her gently away from him.

It did not work as well as he hoped, and Jaina woke immediately. Expressions danced across her face; first of confusion, then of anger, shame, and finally acceptance.

Kyp did not move, and they stayed still for a long time together. She finally brushed a long wisp of hair behind her ear and moved gently apart from him. Kyp, both relieved and saddened to have her off of him, quickly scooted apart from her. It was a while before they spoke. 

"Thank you," Jaina said awkwardly. It was the only thing she could say. Kyp took careful notice of the fact that her shields, while not completely up, were rising, cutting him out of her thoughts. It could only be a good thing, he knew.

"I... apologize," he said stiffly.

Kyp watched her a little bit longer, but her expressions were impossible to read. She simply sat there, obviously thinking. He could tell that she came to a resolution when she straightened, looking into his emerald eyes. 

"For what?" She whispered huskily. Kyp was suddenly aware of her body coming closer to his, until it was dangerously near to him. No, part of him whispered. This isn't right... you are older then her, and her master! But all the rest of him was noticing how beautiful she was, even looking disheveled and slightly grungy, the way her hair moved, how soft her lips looked, like a forbidden fruit, tempting his desires...

Jaina looked at him, and their connection in the force blazed with light, until all Kyp felt was a white haze.

"I don't want to cry any more," Jaina murmured. Kyp could not help anymore his raging passion, the way his blood raced around her, and he leaned forward.

Their lips met in a kiss that was everything a deep part of himself wanted. It was at first light and sweet, then fiery and exhilarating, then calm and comforting.

Kyp withdrew with a brief smile on his lips, even though parts of him were screaming that this was wrong, that she was his student. He ignored them, and instead drowned himself in their connection that was so much more now.

She leaned against him, both giving and taking comfort. They relaxed in the sweetness of their embrace, in their sudden union of souls until both of them were complete.

Kyp turned to her and asked with no trace of the contempt and fear he felt, "What about Jag?" He knew well Jaina's feelings for the man, and felt threatened almost immediately.

She did not seem shaken, but instead only frowned a little. Kyp felt her uncertainty, just as he knew she felt his fear.

She sighed and turned to him.

"I don't know," Jaina said with a troubled look. "I don't know."

But it didn't seem to matter anymore to either of them, and everything else was forgotten for awhile. For at that moment in time, nothing else seemed to matter.


End file.
